Clean the Living Room with Me!

This is the second episode in our new “Clean with Me” podcast series. You can listen here and use the podcast to clean while you listen!

My husband is a huge Dunkin Donut coffee fan! He has visited many of these establishments across the country. Whenever he walks out of the store with his DD coffee cup in hand, he gets in the car and begins to give me a review of their service and of the coffee itself. Recently when he was raving about the cup he just received, I told him,

You know, it always boils down to one thing – the management! If the manager does a good job, the whole experience is praise-worthy and everyone is served well!

It’s the same thing in our homes! Wise management makes the house run well and smoothly. But who is that manager? Proverbs 14:1 says, A wise woman builds her house. She is primarily responsible for the management, though she could have others that help. Part of that managing process is to keep things clean, and as we move to the living room this week, we want to strive to make that space inviting by giving it a good spring over-haul!

Maybe you’re sighing and saying, “But I don’t even like my living room! It needs so many changes!” Listen to what one author said about a beautiful home ~

“Let’s redefine what a beautiful home is. It’s not about big budgets and magazine-quality perfection; it’s about making the best of what you have, and finding contentment, despite what you don’t. It’s not about keeping up with the hottest trends, style-setters, or the neighbors; it’s about creating a space that feels inviting, is functional for your family, and shows off the style and interests of the people who live there. When boiled down, that’s it.  

Marian Parsons

The living room is an important room, because this is probably where your family and/or friends gather when they come to your house. Making it clean and uncluttered will make it more inviting! There may be lots of items in this room that belong to all the people that live in your house, but let’s remember that we are the home managers. It’s our blessing to get to manage this room well so that it functions as a place to truly LIVE. 

One way to transform your attitude about cleaning is to consider this your prayer time! When you pick up your husband’s shoes from beside the recliner, pray for him. When you return your daughter’s water bottle to the kitchen, call her name out to the Lord. These can be prayer prompts, which can turn your heart from sighing to supplication for those in your home.

With a right mental and heart attitude, it’s time to clean. Here are the tools you’ll need for the living room:

• Long-handled duster 
• Dusting spray and cloth 
• Window cleaner 
• Paper towels 
• Squeegee 
• Blind cleaning tool (if applicable) 
• Magic Eraser 
• Vacuum 
• Mop 
• Yard stick, an old sock and a rubber band –Trust me on this one!
• Trash bag, and two other bags,

Work from top to bottom so the dust will be picked up on the lower levels.

1. Remove rugs. 

2. Clean off surfaces. Clutter tip – As you come to clutter while you’re moving around the room, you’re going to make a decision. Those three bags you have are for three categories: throw away, give away, and keep. Decide which bag it goes into as you touch it. 
3. Take down curtains and throw them into the washing machine, if possible. Otherwise, you can vacuum them when you clean the windows.
4. Using your long-handled duster, clean any chandelier or light fixtures. 
   Clean all the high places – tops of bookshelves and cabinets. 
   Wipe all the ceiling, fans, corners and walls, looking for spider webs. 
5. Dust. Dust all the furniture, high to low.
6. Move the furniture away from the wall and wipe down all the baseboards all the way around the room.  
7. Using the Magic eraser, wipe off any black marks, fingerprints or dirt on the walls. 
8. Take that yardstick and put the sock onto the end of it. Secure it on with the rubber band. Go underneath any furniture that is raised off the floor – the couch, especially. You can also use it to go behind pieces of furniture you can’t move, like the piano or a bookshelf. 
9. Remove cushions from the couch and chairs. Vacuum the inside, top and sides of the furniture and then replace the cushion and vacuum it. Do that for each upholstered piece.  
10. Clean the windows. Tip: Clean them when the sun isn’t shining on them – either when it’s on the other side of the house, or a cloudy day. They won’t streak as much. You can use the spray from Dollar tree or the liquid and a squeegee – this is especially good outside of the window. Wipe down blinds. 
11. Vacuum rugs and/or carpets. Mop hardwood. 
12. Hang curtains. Place rugs back on floor.  

Go the extra mile jobs: If you want to go a little deeper:

• Clean out the inside of any cabinet, closet or storage area.. I had two bookshelves that had gotten messy!
• Clean any filter vent. You can either take them outside and hose them down, or use a cloth, then a Magic eraser to remove the dust. 
• Shampoo any carpet or area rugs.

Work hard for God’s glory, and thank Him for a home to clean, people to clean up after, and the blessing of being able to manage it! 

Let me know if you cleaned with me! You could l

1. Leave a comment here
2. Post your before and after pictures on social media and tag me
3. Simply send me a message on FB or Instagram.

Be sure to check out my Instagram today for pics and clips of my cleaning adventure!

Refresh your living room!